The Young and The Restless stars Bryton James and Christel Khalil talked with Shadow And Act’s Trey Mangum about what it’s been like to have a prior working relationship from Family Matters during a January 2021 episode of Shadow and Act Live.
James and Khalil first worked together on “Karate Kids,” the eighth episode of Family Matters, Season 8, a fact James recounted during the live. Both of them had nothing but praise for each other.
“I first met Bryton–I think I was nine and you [James] were ten, and we did that episode together. We didn’t talk in between that time; we weren’t friends, we didn’t really know each other, but we remembered each other when he screen-tested for Young and the Restless,” said Khalil. “At that point, I was 16 and you [James] were 17…He loves to make fun of me because I didn’t know my lines on the screen test. And I really wanted him to get the role. I thought he was the best actor, I thought he really fit the part, and of course, we developed this huge friendship on the show and off the show, and now we’re the best of friends…It’s a nice feeling to know you always have someone who…has your back.”
"We really don't have to act too much these days, spending that much time together on and off-screen," said James.
“She’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to a real sister. She’s my best friend [and] it makes it easy, it makes it fun.”
He also said that he reunited with someone else from his Family Matters days.
“…It felt like a homecoming doing the screen test…Not only did I find out I was screen testing with Christel, but the studio teacher was a woman named Linda Stone who was our studio teacher on Family Matters and mine from three years old until Family Matters ended. She’s been on Y&R for years now,” he said.
